The Ripple. Views on Tantalus Creek

Photograph. Fine. Albumen stereoview [11 cm x 15.5 cm] on a yellow mount [11.5 cm x 17.5 cm] with a printed paper label on the reverse (No. 194). U.S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, Second Division, J. W. Powell in charge. 1875. This stream heads on the eastern slope of the Aquarius Plateau, flows east and then north, and empties into the Dirty Devil River.

Jack Hillers (1840-1882) was working as a teamster when he made the acquaintance of John Wesley Powell. The following year, 1871, Powell hired him as a boatman for his second expedition down the Colorado River and through the Grand Canyon. Over time, he replaced Clements Powell (John's cousin) as the assistant to the photographer (first succeeding E. O. Beaman then James Fennemore). Hillers was a hard worker, highly regarded by his peers, and a fast learner when it came to the art of photography. After serving as the main photographer on Powell's trips, Hillers would go on to work for the Bureau of American Ethnology for many years.